Books of 2018

It's that time of the year again, LOBers. As tradition has it, we take stock of the cultural artifacts that has sustained us in this crazy world over the past year during the December month. I'll start us off with my favorite books from the past year. These are not necessarily all 2018 publications; rather they are the reads that I most enjoyed during the last year:

1. Meg Wolitzer - The Female Persuasion: My favorite novel of the year is Wolitzer's sprawling narrative of college and post-college life that couldn't be any more timely. The protagonist Greer's evolution from a naive and lonely undergraduate to a leading activist in feminist circles is one that I would love to discuss in a group of friends. I really need to form that reading group with I have a spare moment one of these days (sigh)....

2. Jonathan Rauch - The Happiness Curve: Jonathan Rauch is a family friend and thus I've had the chance to chat with him about his work socially over the years. When we had dinner in March, he mentioned his upcoming book and whispered to me "you're going to like this one." He was right; his thesis in this book, which could be loosely categorized as self improvement, is that most of us struggle through our 20s, 30s and 40s but begin to blossom in our 50s. I didn't agree with everything in the book but it made me reflect deeply on the arc of my life. If you're of a certain age, I think it will for you, too.

3. Leni Zumas - Red Clocks: Zumas' latest novel is a spellbinding and nightmarish view of a possible future America. Under a draconian administration, women's reproductive rights have been eliminated and six women in the Salem, Oregon area, including a teacher struggling with fertility issues, a pregnant teacher, a homeopathic therapist, and a frustrated wife dealing with her crumbling marriage deal with the consequences.

4. Joe Hagen - Sticky Fingers: I've been a fan of Rolling Stone magazine since I was a teenager, so this exhaustive study of the magazine's founder Jann Wenner was fascinating to me. That I read it during a time of crisis for the magazine, when it was transitioning from its old bi-weekly format to a new monthly format, made this all the more pointed.

5. Michael Issikoff and David Corn - Russian Roulette: This year produced a virtual cottage industry of books detailing the chaos of the Trump White House and the investigation of its collusion with Putin's Russia around the 2016 election but this one is the best. What makes it stand out from the throng is the depth of investigative digging from two veteran reporters. If you want to make sense of this complex story for yourself, this is the book to turn to.

6. Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkenen - The Wife Between Us: I'm a sucker for a good thriller, especially when I'm on the road, as it takes my mind off work after a long day of conferencing. In recent years, I've enjoyed Stieg Larsson's trilogy, Gone Girl and Girl on a Train. If you liked those, too, you'll enjoy the twists and turns of this page-turner.

7. Tracey Thorn - Bedsit Disco Queen: I've been a huge admirer of Tracey Thorn's work over the years and I so I gobbled up this memoir. I was particularly moved by her descriptions of meeting her Everything but the Girl collaborator and partner in life Ben Watt on her first night at Hull University in 1981. As someone who has always seen their relationship, especially during Ben's health crisis in the early 90s, as an inspiration, this was a profound read for me.

8. Ann Power - Good Booty: Ann Powers has been one of the smartest writers on popular music for several decades now, from her early work for the sadly now defunct The Village Voice to her current gig as a Nashville music correspondent for NPR. In her latest book, she surveys the complex intersections between race and gender in rock music.

9. David Grann - Killers of the Flower Moon: New Yorker writer David Grann detailed a story that I had never heard of before - the role of a series of mysterious killings of Native Americans in early 20th century Oklahoma in the formation of the FBI.

10. Mary Lou Hall - Wirewalker: Hall's YAF novel dug deeply into the life of a young boy forced to navigate the treacherous waters of a dangerous urban neighborhood and his dysfunctional relationship with his drug-peddling father.

Notable Others: 

* Anna Gavalda - Consolation
* Alice Hoffman - The Marriage of Opposites
* Anya Kamanetz - The Test 
* Amy Kaufman - Bachelor Nation
* Steve Kornacki - The Red and the Blue
* Per Petterson - I Refuse
* Michael Pollan - How to Change Your Mind
* Ganesh Sitaraman - The Crisis of the Middle Class Constitution
* Katy Tur - Unbelievable!
* Michael Wolff - Fire and Fury

Disappointment: 

David Sedaris - Calypso: I've always anticipated a new collection of Sedaris stories hoping that it will make me laugh out loud. Unfortunately, his latest is tinged with the great sadness of losing his sister Tiffany. I wasn't in the right head-space for it, but perhaps some of you might be.

I'd love to hear what you've enjoyed reading this year.